Morning Wire XX
[0] After years of investigation, the Trump organization was found guilty of tax fraud.
[1] What are the implications for the former president and his family's business?
[2] I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Editor -in -Chief John Bickley.
[3] It's December 10th, and this is your Saturday edition of Morning Wire.
[4] As the threat of being canceled by a financial institution grows, a group of high -profile entrepreneurs are taking action.
[5] We speak to country music star John Rich about Old Glory Bank.
[6] There's a lot of patriotic people that want to see a new system set up.
[7] And we're well into Oscar season when Hollywood releases the films they expect to win awards, but so far the public isn't biting on the Oscar bait.
[8] Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire.
[9] Stay tuned.
[10] We have the news you need to know.
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[17] A Manhattan jury this week found two Trump organizations guilty of tax fraud and falsifying business records in a much anticipated verdict.
[18] The case brought by district attorney Alvin Bragg did not directly involve Donald Trump or anyone in his family, but it comes amid a swarm of legal issues surrounding the former and would -be future president.
[19] Here to discuss the verdict and its implications as columnist David Marcus.
[20] Hi, Dave.
[21] Which organizations are involved in this suit and what were they found guilty of?
[22] The companies were the Trump Corporation and the Trump Payroll Corporation.
[23] And the case really centered on the use of perks like company cars, apartments, even private school tuition, that should have been reported and wasn't.
[24] The key figure was former Trump Corp employee Alan Weisselberg, who had already pleaded guilty to multiple counts of tax evasion and other crimes.
[25] The upshot in sentencing will probably be a fine in excess of $1 .5 million, but New York State does not have any laws that would allow the state to put the company out of business.
[26] The verdict comes at a time when Trump is facing a flood of legal problems from investigations into the Moralago documents to January 6th, and now even the possibility that Bragg could indict Trump for payoffs to Stormy Daniels.
[27] Is this all reaching a, you know, a breaking point for Trump?
[28] That seems unlikely.
[29] This isn't the first time that a Trump organization has been found guilty of criminal or civil breaches of the law.
[30] Going back to his real estate businesses in the 1980s, later Trump University, one almost pictures these legal issues like Nats constantly flying around Trump's head, as he waves his hand to shoe them.
[31] I'm sure it's an annoyance, but I think the idea that this is somehow the straw that's going to break the camel's back is quite a remote contingency.
[32] And how has Trump reacted to this verdict?
[33] He'd been quite focal throughout the proceedings on his social network and calling out the prosecution as politically motivated.
[34] What's he saying now?
[35] He thinks it's a witch hunt like all the rest.
[36] In fact, he posted in all caps, mind you, that it's the greatest witch hunt of all time because even Trump's witch hunts have to be the greatest.
[37] He also, he called it a giant political scam and said that the people of the country would no longer take it.
[38] Part of the alchemy of Trump's political career is to claim victimhood.
[39] And in fairness, he's one of the most investigated people on the planet.
[40] And it's not just him saying he's being targeted in a coordinated way by his political enemies.
[41] He'll certainly try to use this to his advantage.
[42] And don't be shocked if he fundraises off of it.
[43] This is just how Trump plays the game.
[44] Does the fact that Trump is now an official candidate for president influence how potentially, further cases may or may not be prosecuted?
[45] It's hard to say.
[46] Bragg left that door open saying that this Trump Corp case was just, quote, one chapter, end quote, in this saga.
[47] Some have speculated that part of the reason Trump launched his campaign so early, literally days after the midterm, was to insulate himself from prosecutions.
[48] But it's just as likely that he simply wanted to put himself on top of the primary hill and dare challengers to knock him off.
[49] the bottom line is that if Bragg or Attorney General Merrick Garland or the January 6th committee think they can prove Trump committed a crime, they're going to go after him whether his name's on a ballot or not.
[50] Now, Trump is often accused, but this time, at least as far as his organization goes, the charges have stuck.
[51] What political fallout has there been from Democrats or Republicans so far?
[52] There hasn't been a ton of reaction.
[53] Obviously, Democrats will point to this as further evidence of Trump's corrupt nature.
[54] But honestly, if Trump were the Marvel universe, for example, this case would be an animated short, not a Hollywood blockbuster.
[55] And I guess the question is who you think's the villain and who's the hero.
[56] David, thanks for joining us.
[57] That was Daily Wire contributor, David Marcus.
[58] Coming up, a new bank is hoping to court conservative customers.
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[64] Amid heightened concerns over governments and banking institutions, freezing citizens' assets for political or ideological reasons, some entrepreneurs are taking steps to build alternative.
[65] alternatives, including launching entirely new banks.
[66] A group of high -profile figures, among them Dr. Ben Carson and Larry Elder, have joined together to form a new patriot -friendly bank, Old Glory Bank.
[67] Joining us to discuss is one of the bank's founders, country music star and entrepreneur, John Rich.
[68] John, thanks for joining us.
[69] So tell us about your new bank.
[70] What is the mission of Old Glory Bank, and why do you feel it's necessary now?
[71] So Old Glory Bank is a new banking platform that is, I think a concept that has to happen, and basically it's a place you can save your money and do your checking and do your business without fear of being canceled or punished by big companies slash government, which we now see have been working together on many platforms.
[72] You don't have to have fear of that happening.
[73] And while that might sound like a crazy notion, I think as we go forward, it becomes less and less of a crazy thought to think that people's own bank accounts, could be weaponized against them.
[74] You just saw Justin Trudeau last year in Canada.
[75] We all remember the trucker protest.
[76] And one of his biggest crushing moves on those truckers was to freeze their bank accounts, turn off their ATM access, did not let them have access to their own money.
[77] And that was a backbreaker.
[78] And then if you look at Brazil, the Bank of Brazil just did the same thing a couple of weeks ago.
[79] And if you don't think that can happen in America, then you're not paying attention.
[80] So I think a lot of people like myself, millions of Americans around the country are very nervous about the future that if they say something on social media, if they go to the wrong protest, if they go to the wrong school board meeting, they get just a little bit too loud that at some point the bank that they're with could decide to freeze their accounts.
[81] So Old Glory Bank was born out of that.
[82] And so Old Glory Bank, to me, is a new hill to run to.
[83] It is part of the parallel economy that we're seeing being built in real time around this country.
[84] So you see a need here to build an alternative to the other national banks and a real appetite for that as well.
[85] What is the target demographic with this kind of effort?
[86] I think the target demographic for Old Glory Bank is the entire United States.
[87] It's anybody that wants to be able to speak their mind and exercise all of their freedoms without worry of being penalized by a banking system.
[88] I mean, these things are at our doorstep.
[89] There are socialist, communist -minded people in power that fantasize about having the ability to shut off your bank account, to kill your access to your own money in an effort to break your spirit and break your will.
[90] And we can't let that happen.
[91] And the only way to keep that from happening ultimately is to have alternatives.
[92] We are somewhat cornered right now in this country between the government and the big woke companies that control everything, if we don't go set up new ways to do our business, we're going to be in big trouble.
[93] We're in big trouble right now.
[94] And instead of just twiddling our thumbs and yelling about it, we decided to do something about it.
[95] That's what Oh, Glory Bank is all about.
[96] Hi, John.
[97] Well, thank you so much for talking with us.
[98] That was musician and entrepreneur, John Rich.
[99] In years past, the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas was known for star -studded premieres of Hollywood prestige films.
[100] This year, box office numbers have been disappointing.
[101] Joining us to discuss is Hollywood reporter and Daily Wire contributor Christian Toto.
[102] So, Christian, Hollywood's prestige Oscar contenders just aren't doing so well at the box office this year.
[103] What kind of numbers are we seeing?
[104] They're pretty bad and they're pretty consistent.
[105] We've seen a lot of films that seem to have been entering the field as contenders, as films that maybe people would want to see on the surface, but the numbers just aren't there.
[106] I'm thinking about films like Till and Tar and Armageddon Time, bones and all.
[107] And also the Fablemans, which is directed by Stephen Spielberg.
[108] So whenever Spielberg's names in the nick, you think, oh gosh, a lot of people are in a rally, but that's not the case this time.
[109] Now, in terms of the actual numbers that they're pulling in, are they actually losing money at the box office?
[110] How is it comparing to years past?
[111] Each film is a bit different.
[112] It really depends on their budgets, but all the films I mentioned are making less than 10, million each.
[113] That's not good at all.
[114] Some are making far less than that and may not even reach that by the time their theatrical runs end.
[115] So, you know, you would think 20, 30, 40, 50 million, maybe even more, none of those films are getting there.
[116] And that's a problem.
[117] Now, is this a holdover from the pandemic?
[118] Is this just people not wanting to go back to theaters or is it a bigger problem than that?
[119] You know, I think there's some basis in the pandemic, but it's much more broader.
[120] because I think we've seen in recent months that if it's a specific kind of movie people will rally.
[121] Even Elvis, which came out during the summertime, had a bit of an older audience.
[122] Of course, older people watched Elvis throughout their lives.
[123] And that film did quite well.
[124] And that was an older demographic and a younger demographic.
[125] So it's not the issue of the pandemic alone.
[126] I think there are other factors here, although it could also point to people just getting used to watching first run movies at home on their streaming platforms and they just don't want to go to the theaters as much as before unless it's a big razzle -dazzle experience.
[127] Now, what about the actual content of the films?
[128] I know in the past several years, there's been talk about how these Oscar films are becoming increasingly out of touch with regular people.
[129] Is that still the case?
[130] Are they trying to correct for that at all?
[131] I think it's still partially the case.
[132] I'll bring up bones in all because that's a movie where you think, well, it's a love story.
[133] It's about these people on the margins of society, but it's really about two cannibals who alternately kill people and that eat them.
[134] So, you know, is that the kind of film that people want to rush out to see?
[135] I don't think so.
[136] The numbers certainly prove that out.
[137] And also, it was released in a wider release during the holidays, the Thanksgiving weekend.
[138] Again, you think about Thanksgiving, you think about the great meals you're having, and then you think, do I want to see a kennel movie?
[139] And for many people, the answer was no. Now, this might be a silly question, but what makes a movie a good Oscar contender?
[140] How does the Academy decide?
[141] You know, it's not a silly question.
[142] It's a good question because it seems like each year there's a very specific template involved.
[143] The subject matter can be very serious, very sober.
[144] Often it looks back at historical eras of consequence.
[145] It could be just the actors in general.
[146] Kate Planchette is a great actress.
[147] So anytime that she's involved with almost anything, it's Oscar bait material.
[148] But also, I think there's a sense of, it's almost like homework that you have to do.
[149] It could be very sober, very well -crafted filmmaking.
[150] But at the same time, do audiences really want to go to the theater to have that kind of experience?
[151] I think what we're seeing now is that audiences just want to experience something different and novel and kind of release their emotions.
[152] It's one of the reasons why horror films have done so well in 2022.
[153] Now, you mentioned streaming.
[154] Have there been any notable films that have gone straight to the streaming platforms?
[155] And if so, could they eventually become competition for the big studios?
[156] Yes, the streaming films, that's the new normal now, is that these high -profile filmmakers like Martin Scorsese, they put their films out directly on Netflix or Amazon Prime, and they're often in the mix for best picture considerations.
[157] Just think a couple of years ago where Scorsese's, the Irishman, didn't win the major prize, but certainly was in the running for that big award.
[158] So that's another thing that's changing within the industry.
[159] You've got these major platforms that really want to get in the Oscar business.
[160] and often they can lure some of the most talented filmmakers around, some of the best actors around, to help make that possible.
[161] And we'll have to see, you know, a glass onion, the new Knives Out Mystery.
[162] I don't know if it's going to win Best Picture.
[163] It might not even get an award or nomination, but that one's coming on Netflix.
[164] It's just kind of dip to toe in theaters, but that's the kind of high -profile movie that we now see on streaming.
[165] All right.
[166] Well, Christian, thanks so much for coming on.
[167] My pleasure.
[168] That was Christian Toto, Hollywood Reporter, and Editor of the Well, website Hollywood in Toto.
[169] Other stories we're tracking this week.
[170] The Federal Trade Commission on Thursday sued to block Microsoft's planned $69 billion takeover of video game company Activision Blizzard.
[171] The FTC says it could suppress competitors to Microsoft's Xbox game console and its growing game subscription business.
[172] Iran executed its first prisoner, convicted for a crime allegedly committed during the country's ongoing protest, according to Iranian officials.
[173] Well, that's all the time we've got this morning.
[174] Thanks for waking up with us.
[175] We'll be back tomorrow with the news you need to know.